Help ...I dont know what to do?

[greystar]

Hi everyone, i have a problem and i really need help.

Star, who is now 7 months old has been acting strange for a week , when he wants to be let out he makes so much noise and keeps climbing to the top of the cage, he never used to do that b4. Also he hates when its his bedtime to be put make in it's a war, sometimes he wins and stays outside.

 

I feel he really wants to be near me now than ever ( and i feel da same, he is my baby :kiss: ) but even when its time for his nap, i had to bring his cage into my room so he feels safe. is this normal?

 

Also he stated being vocal he throws some words, which i cant make out, he also and whistles when he sees me to get my attention, but at the same time he doesnt eat as he did when i first brought him home, he has his seeds but i also try to give him fruits and vegetables.. is that normal,, i mean do greys go through this phase? i searched online but found nothing that could help me, he does have his toys i play with him ( since he always nest to me )but sometimes he will pluck his feathers i dont know , i try to stop him by talking to him or distracting him with a toy.

 

I feel so depressed i dont know why he would start going at his feathers, i know it's a bad sign that the birf is unhappy? but its that the main reason.

 

Star hs stared to scratch himself alot , i mean more thanever, i do bath him 3 times a week if i can, since he hates bath time and its war, i am still using a light spray bottle to bathe him...

However, i stopped bathing him coz he started shivering 2 days ago... although i dont have an a/c or a fan on...is this normal.....

 

I really need so advice... dont wanna loose my bird, plzzz

[Dave007]

The first thing you should know is that your bird is now older and as many other living thing, habits and ideas and independence and smarts kick in.

There really isn't anything that your bird is doing that's unusual to most of the more experienced people here who gone through the same thing with their birds.

 

"""when he wants to be let out he makes so much noise and keeps climbing to the top of the cage, he never used to do that b4""""

 

Very common, all birds make noise at different times. He's a parrot.

 

""""Star, who is now 7 months old has been acting strange for a week """"

 

Again, very common. Star is acting like a more mature parrot who has learned the art of getting your attention.

 

""""Also he stated being vocal he throws some words, which i cant make out""""

 

All greys make sounds that make no sense to a person. What they're doing is pracricing sounds that will eventually turn into words.

 

""""i searched online but found nothing that could help me""""

 

May I suggest that instead of going online looking for answers that may conflict with each other or not show up at all, get some decent reading material that you can have at your side at all times.

 

I want others to continue this thread simply because there's absolutely nothing wrong with your bird and I'd rather that other people tell you there's nothing wrong.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/19 01:56

[greystar]

thank dave, but i guess i did not clear out what i was worried about, in my post were his shivering and not eating as he normally used to.. thats all

 

and i also have a new owner's guide to afican greys but it doesnt mention the above factors.

 

thanks again

[particle77]

First question: You mentioned the shivering in the same paragraph with bathing. Is the shivering only when he's wet? or is he frequently shivering for no apparent reason, when previously he was not?

 

Second question: Do you weigh your grey periodically? Is it loosing weight?

 

If the shivering is frequent, and not just when wet, or if your grey is loosing weight, I'd visit the avian vet. If you don't know if your grey is loosing weight because you haven't weighed him in awhile, but you believe he's not eating I'd also visit the avian vet.<br><br>Post edited by: particle77, at: 2009/09/19 05:38

[Dave007]

I'll say another thing

 

""""I feel he really wants to be near me now than ever ( and i feel da same, he is my baby ) but even when its time for his nap, i had to bring his cage into my room so he feels safe. is this normal?"""""

 

That's probably one of the worst things you can do. A bird has to learn how to live in it';s home which is actually his cage and if you give in to bringing him with you, you'll be very sorry in the futute.

 

As your bird gets older, many different things are gonna happen in which you'll have to put up with an just turn around and let the bird get it out of his system. For many things, that takes time. The more independent they get the more they start acting like independent birds and some of the things are gonna bother you.

 

Shivering--happens when you first bathe a bird and reperch him. That's when the shivering starts and ends within a 1/2 hr. At other times shivering won't occur. Shivering starts when the bird is passed from one person to another. Shivering can start when the bird is put on or in a strange place. Shivering can start when the bird is approached too closely by you or another person. Shivering can start when a new toy or other item is introduced to him but it's too close to him.

 

Feathers get old. Birds first pick at those old feathers because they're dry. At 8 mts old, you can expect your bird to be going through iot's first major molt. Probably 1,2 or 3 mts from now.

 

"""""Star hs stared to scratch himself alot , i mean more thanever, i do bath him 3 times a week if i can, since he hates bath time and its war, i am still using a light spray bottle to bathe him..."""""

 

You're not bathing him. The only thing you're doing is wetting feathers in which the water is simply rolling off. Grey's feathers are waterproof. You're gonna have to learn how to mist him so that the underneath areas of the feathers, namely the skin , will get wet. That's where the ichyneness begins and that's why birds pick at those areas. A different type of misting won't be pleasent for you because the bird willsquawk alot but you have to put that aside and continue what you're doing. After many times of doing thi, a bird will calm down but not completely.

 

""" feel so depressed i dont know why he would start going at his feathers, i know it's a bad sign that the birf is unhappy? but its that the main reason."""

 

That question hs already been answered.

 

""""Do you weigh your grey periodically? Is it loosing weight?""""

 

Siome people do, and others don't. The importantant thing to first find out is what constitutes a loss of weight first. Birds loses grams and gain grams all the time depending upon how active it is. Do you know what your bird weighed 1 month ago? Do you know what your bird weighed last week? Do you know what your bird weighed yesterday? Do you know whether you have a small, medium or large boned bird?

 

If you wanna constantlly weigh your bird, you'll have to get a battery powered gram/ounce/pound scale.

 

Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/19 20:13<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/19 20:21

[particle77]

Dave is giving good sound advice. That said, I am of the opinion that if you're not sure about your greys health, a visit to the vet is in order. On these forums we are going entirely by what you write, and our assessments might be quite different if we actually saw the bird first hand(beyond that, I at least am not an avian vet).

 

Others may disagree, but I feel that when taking on a parrot you should be prepared to make extra trips to the vet that first 2 years. Sometimes it may turn out that your parrot is fine, but each time you'll come away with increased knowledge, so its not a waste.

[ranaz]

Hi Greystar

I think Dave has given loads of good advice and I do agree with it all. Your grey at 7 months starts to have personality, more like a child than a baby, he starts to test your limits and try to work it his own way, he tried the vocalisation and climbing at bed time and he won sometimes, u took him to your bedroom and he won again, so you give him all the positive reinforcement that he needs. He knows now that when he wants something, he can be naughty and you will do what he wants.

I would encourage you to put his cage back in the initial place, put him to bed on time daily. tell him 5 min before bed time that its time to sleep, that hes gonna go inside and say good night, and praise him a lot when hes inside or give him some treats. I faced same with Kookie, so we found a solution, at bedtime I keep 2 peanuts in his cage so when he goes inside, he knows a treat is wating for him. I close the door and even if he begs me to go out, i will not allow it. You hav to be firm and he will learn.

 

You have to help him to be indipendant, and reward him for that.

You will be the best at finding what works out best for you.

I would also strongly recommend a pellet diet, it does wonders to his feathers in terms of nutrition and all necessary vitamins.

Also a scale is necessary. Keep a record of his weight so you can observe any changes.

 

Its really like raising a kid, everyone is different and unique but moms have to keep a firm foot and this will build character.

Good Luck

{Nature-00020095}{Nature-00020095}

[Jingles]

hi! I didn't read through all...have a meeting in a few minutes, but I wanted to say...

 

I got 'parrots for dummies' book at barnes and noble's...AWESOME book.

 

What is the shaft color of the feathers he's picking? Are they white or red?

 

I got a shower perch that totally gets my birds soaked. Are his chest feathers quivering? My birds do that after their shower.

 

Remember, reward for GOOD behavior, ignore bad behavior!!!!

 

And go get that book...it was one of the best things I did!

[greystar]

hello everyone, sorry 4 being away but u know how it is when moving houses. I took Star to the vet, he asured me that Star was in good shape but i need to include more veggies, even though Star is a picky eater.

 

As for putting Star in his cafe, it has worked out great since i started clicker trainning, its like magic. I even put some of his favourite treats as ranaz, pointed out. He get sooooo excited , plus i spend like 15 minutes once i put him in the cage talking to him cuddling and scratching him, till the little baby falls asleep....